Detour in place for Mattox Creek Bridge

Posted on Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 4:00 pm

Route 205 is currently closed to traffic at Mattox Creek Bridge. The route will be closed so barriers, equipment and temporary traffic signals can be staged for the bridge replacement project. The bridge will re-open by 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 19. Message boards have been posted to notify motorists of the upcoming road closure. Detour signs will also be posted to guide motorists to Route 3 and Route 301 during the closure.

When the bridge re-opens on July 18, a new traffic pattern will be in place. Traffic on the bridge will be reduced to one lane. Temporary traffic signals will be active on each approach to the bridge. The light cycle will be approximately four minutes for each change.

Colonial Beach Police Chief Libby Legg said police, fire and rescue have met with construction officials to learn how this change will impact response, and wants to share this information with the citizens, so everyone will know what to do should an emergency vehicle approach as they wait. Because the traffic lights will be triggered by the audible sirens and will take a few moments to change the signal, it is important for drivers to know that they should stay in the lane, wait for the light to change, and allow the emergency vehicle to proceed. Any efforts to pull to either side are likely to cause traffic problems, placing operators at risk, and delaying the emergency response.

These signals will control traffic crossing the bridge, and will be in place through July 2016, when the bridge replacement project is scheduled for completion.

Construction began in June on this $8.1 million project intending to replace the structurally deficient bridge over Mattox Creek. The replacement bridge will have two 12-foot travel lanes, with two 10-foot shoulders.